A biped walking humanoid robot as it is called in the art has so far been made able to walk with two legs by producing in advance data for a pre-established walking pattern (hereinafter referred to as “gait”) and actuating the legs in a controlled manner in accordance with the gait data so that the robot can bipedally walk as desired.
Such a conventional biped walking humanoid robot tends to become unstable in walking position due, for example, to floor surface conditions and an error in the physical parameters of the robot itself and may then even turn over. For this reason, walking stability is maintained by, for example, controlling the robot parameters such as ZMP (Zero Moment Point, the point where the composite moment of floor counterforce on a sole of a robot foot and gravity becomes zero).
However, a biped walking humanoid robot of the prior art is so designed on a premise as to walk in a stand up posture, and though it is designed not to tumble down as far as possible, its body part is to aid control of walking, and is not designed to act in coordination with arms and feet.
Hence a biped walking humanoid robot of the prior art is not so designed for such full body movement to make its body, feet, and arms act as a whole, for example, as protecting action when tumbling down, arising action from lying posture following tumbling, and rolling or jumping. Therefore, freedom of movement or the range of rotation angle of the waist part of a body restricts such full body movement.
Further, if a biped walking humanoid robot tumbles down repeatedly, such parts as a body and the tips of arms and feet may be damaged or become bumpy. waist part of a body restricts such full body movement.
Further, if a biped walking humanoid robot tumbles down repeatedly, such parts as a body and the tips of arms and feet may be damaged or become bumpy. Since there are so many cables for driving or sensor, however, to have much freedom of movement in each part in a prior art, it was difficult to change, for example, arms and feet easily.